Visit iFLY in San Diego for indoor skydiving
Indoor skydiving in San Diego became possible this week. A $10 million iFLY San Diego opened in Mission Valley, becoming the 15th U.S. location. IFLY gave my 8-year-old daughter and her friend a chance to fly freely in the 14-foot wind tunnel.
Apparently, it's safe for children as young as three to as old as 103. An old man of 103 did it, that's for sure. It was my assumption that my capable third graders could handle it. Despite a tiny bit of hesitation, they loved it. As if I was riding Space Mountain for the first time, it felt like an adventure. The idea of doing something fun that you know you will enjoy is exciting, but there is also a degree of uncertainty involved.
iFLY is like this.
Preparing to Fly
In the new state-of-the-art facility, a check-in process includes signing a waiver and receiving a wristband (if you haven't already). On a nearby television, you can view people currently in the tunnel via a live camera. When we visited, a group of professionals was performing tricks. After multiple training sessions and visits, that won't be you.
Following the tutorial, students participate in a class setting to gain a better understanding. This video illustrates the dos and don'ts of indoor skydiving and the four types of hand signals the instructor will use to correct your form.
Chin up, legs bent or straight, and relax are the main commands. The girls understood. Since there is wind noise in the wind tunnel, it is impossible to talk.
You are taught basic hand signals and proper formation before indoor skydiving at iFly in San Diego.
Flight Gear
Tennis shoes and comfortable clothing are important. During your first flight, you will need a flight suit to wear over your clothes that the instructor can grip to hang on to you. Among the necessary equipment are plastic goggles, disposable earplugs, and a helmet.
iFLY San Diego provides free flights for kids as young as 3 years old!
The flyers enter the tunnel's internal seating area just outside the air chamber as soon as they are suited up. Cue rapid heartbeat. Each flyer enters the tunnel one by one as the wind blows fiercely.
What Its Like to Fly
Fortunately, you have an instructor at your side. Brandon took great care to ensure the kids understood what was necessary to fly on their own.
As I watched each flight, it seemed like forever (it was a double session). After spinning them up until the top of the tunnel, he returned to the bottom. The fun quotient was pretty high when he did that. Here is my daughter's video showing how her first-time attempt at this seems so mind-blowing!
A flash drive with multiple photos and videos from your flight can be sent home with your iFLY package. The short clip below shows my daughter's last flight. Certainly, she is more stable than during her first flight, and hasn't reported any stomach butterflies or motion sickness, though she occasionally does.
There is a range of length between 1 second and 2 seconds for sessions. In reality, skydiving out of a plane takes less than one minute.
How the iFLY Tunnel Works
An electric motor drives four of the most efficient fans available to create a cushion of air that can support people up to 250 pounds, ages 3 to 103. The tower reaches 48 feet from the cable net floor (where the instructor stands) to the top. There is only 16 feet of glass walled space.
For science buffs, here are the details. By using tunnel vanes, air is directed upward from the basement (plenum) by the Return Air Towers. The vanes are filled with chilled water to ensure a consistent, comfortable ventilation system no matter what the weather is like.
As part of the fast-growing bodyflight sport, you fly in tunnels like this. With iFLY, you can learn how to become a competitive flyer even if you're just starting out. Furthermore, iFLY established the International Bodyflight Association (IBA), which oversees safety, instructor training, and competition rules.
The newest attraction in San Diego, iFly, offers indoor skydiving
Programming for Kids
iFLY is not really designed to be a once-off experience, as locals must realize. To conform to local teaching standards, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming has been developed with and approved by local educators. Yes, a flight is included. This is such an awesome way to learn.
We also offer birthday parties. Be on the lookout for other programming aimed at kids interested in bodyflight in the near future.
Booking iFLY
My friends and family have almost always asked about the price of this experience. Answer: It depends on the package you choose and how much flying you anticipate. For first-time flyers, the base package starts at $7999 and goes up from there.
The Bottom Line
Giggling, but apprehensive, the girls participated. As soon as they left, it was all we talked about the rest of the evening. The two of them would definitely do it again, and I would be more than happy to help them out. There is no doubt that this is a world-famous San Diego attraction and it is well worth visiting.